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I tend to be bulky kinda muscular and I wish I was less so. Even at my most lean I have big arms, big chest etc and it does me no good in most conditions other than when it's big I can paddle more strongly than a lot of guys I see. If it were possible for me to loose some of this muscle I would just to be lighter and faster. Genetics play a part though, I'm pretty sure i could starve myself and still be more muscular than most surfers.

I tend to be bulky kinda muscular and I wish I was less so. Even at my most lean I have big arms, big chest etc and it does me no good in most conditions other than when it's big I can paddle more strongly than a lot of guys I see. If it were possible for me to loose some of this muscle I would just to be lighter and faster. Genetics play a part though, I'm pretty sure i could starve myself and still be more muscular than most surfers.

you poor thinggg.. you've got a lean muscular boddy. ughh.. how do you live with yourself. we all know how much the ladies hate that look... :PPP.... Are you guys crazyy.. I understand that it might effect my surfing but you guys talk about muscle like its a curse. BTW I was not on roids. Cytogainer and consistent weight training did the trick for me. I was eating a good amount too but I think its cytogainer that really pushed me over the edge. And I only put on 2.5lbs a month. I don't think its time to conclude performance drugs just yet... I only want to gain 10 to 20 more lbs then start cutting up and go for a lean 28-30' waist at about 200lbs. Thats always been my goal. I hate that its gonna affect my ability in the water, but I care more about strength, and muscle gains then I do surfing. <<< Swellinfo: please don't ban me for that last one...

you poor thinggg.. you've got a lean muscular boddy. ughh.. how do you live with yourself. we all know how much the ladies hate that look... :PPP.... Are you guys crazyy.. I understand that it might effect my surfing but you guys talk about muscle like its a curse. BTW I was not on roids. Cytogainer and consistent weight training did the trick for me. I was eating a good amount too but I think its cytogainer that really pushed me over the edge. And I only put on 2.5lbs a month. I don't think its time to conclude performance drugs just yet... I only want to gain 10 to 20 more lbs then start cutting up and go for a lean 28-30' waist at about 200lbs. Thats always been my goal. I hate that its gonna affect my ability in the water, but I care more about strength, and muscle gains then I do surfing. <<< Swellinfo: please don't ban me for that last one...

I dunno maybe its just me but I never got the whole gaining muscle mass thing. I work out a lot but do mostly cardio and muscle toning/endurance. Bulking up just makes you slower, less flexible and heavier which, in my opinion, is a bad thing. I had a few friends in college who lifted like crazy and bulked up about 20-30lbs of muscle and now that they have full time jobs and dont workout as much they just look overweight. I dunno, its your life so I'm not telling you what to do or anything I just dont get it...

RobG, that is exactly what happens. I worked out hard in the 80's when muscle was king, lol. All that bulk has never left me and when I gain any weight all the cuts in my muscles get filled in with fat and the muscle itself gets marbled like a good piece of steak. Unless I am cut I look bulky and soft and feel sluggish and slow. I wish I had never worked out so hard as a kid but for me it's as much genetics as anything. I can see my 12 year old sons shoulders getting wider by the day and is bicepts growing. He said he wanted to work out with weights and I talked him out of it. If you are working out to stay strong and healthy for surfing it's a good thing but avoid working out to gain size. Small, wiry and fast is just as impressive as big and bulky maybe more so. For me it's better to surf good than to look "good".

You can push the newer suits pretty far, but the seams may eventually give. Usually around the stomach chest panel first....don't ask how I know.

I'm 5'11\" 220lbs and can surf small waves for hours on a small board. I don't move around paddling as good as I used to, but once up my actual surfing hasn't suffered due to the weight....I used to be 170lbs in my best shape. For my frame that was very lean.

I understand that it might effect my surfing but you guys talk about muscle like its a curse.

When your metabolism slows down, it will be (for reasons that Zippy's already mentioned). You may see big guys during wetsuit season. You may older guys during wetsuit season. But you will seldom see older, big guys. There's a reason for that.

As far as fat versus muscle, my personal opinion is that they both have drawbacks, but for your concerns, the drawbacks to muscle bulk (even in younger guys) includes reduced range of motion, which means more effort in everything & slower movement. As Zippy pointed out, it has a lot to do with genetics, but usually, workouts that bring beef do so through relatively slow reps. The muscle does what you train it to do, so you'll be able to benchpress a small Buick, but you'll peter out on paddling and pop-up. While certain atheletes cross train to bring strength and speed, it's easy to see what atheletes gravitate towards gaining mass. A football team is a good example. Of course, there's caveats to everything, but the point remains valid.

All this being said, if surfing isn't as important to you, none of this matters. When you outgrow your wetsuit, look at the O'neill PsychoFreak. It's got a lot of elasticity. You'll need that.

the faster you go, the rounder you get.....

i am sure any old guy here will tell you that any weight/size gain is harder to maintain as useful and harder to lose as you get older. any activity that requires agility over brute strength favors a leaner mass. as a skinny guy (well useta be, anyway... :P) i notice the bigger guys do enjoy the advantage of built-in insulation....gain enough and you won't need a wetsuit....